Bono, 56, has an extraordinary talent not just for music, but for tackling problems that seem intractable—and making mighty gains. In 2004 he cofounded ONE, the international volunteer advocacy organization that has helped get lifesaving AIDS drugs to millions of people in Africa. And now Bono has created Poverty Is Sexist, a campaign specifically aimed at helping the world’s poorest women—those who survive on less than $2 a day. The campaign’s first order of business: to document a clear link between poverty and gender, and send that data to every president and prime minister in the world. That report motivated leaders to donate an additional $13 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, which will help save the lives of millions of women and babies. By establishing Poverty Is Sexist, Bono is making it clear that powerful men can, and should, take on these deep-rooted issues. “The battle for gender equality can’t be won unless men lead it along with women,” he says. “We’re largely responsible for the problem, so we have to be involved in the solutions.”

The magazine's editor-in-chief, Cindi Leive, says for many years the magazine wanted to include a man, but always nixed the idea over public outrage.

"It started to seem that that might be an outdated way of looking at things," she said.

She added: "There are so many men who really are doing wonderful things for women these days. Some men get it and Bono is one of those guys. The idea that a man who could select any cause in the world to call his own, or no cause at all, is choosing to work, and not just for one night or at a special event, but consistently day after day and month after month on behalf of women, is incredibly cool and absolutely deserves applause."

The argument here is Glamour is bringing attention to a man, which takes away from another well-deserved woman.